Oaths
Example Oaths The Oath of Clasped Hands Blood for blood, bone for bone, life for life, until only we stride the earth. My life is in your hands, my blood is in your veins. Hold me well and I will lend you my strength, break your bond and may we both perish. Friendship I swear to you, an oath of clasped hands and shared hearts. This oath is never made lightly; these words are only for those who feel a bond for a friend as strong as any they might feel for a lover. To make this oath, the oathmakers’ hands are clasped around a double-edged blade while the words are spoken. As the blood of the oathmakers is mixed, their friendship is reaffirmed and strengthened. Makers of this oath gain a Willpower point when it completed, but lose two if it is ever broken. ' ' The Oath of Fealty I swear fealty unto you, lady/lord. Your command is my desire, and your request my desire. May my service always pkase, and may my sight grow dark if it does not. As the tides to the moon, my will to yours, my liege. This is the wording of the formal Oalh of Fealty, commonly used at investitures, knightings and Sainings. Speaking the words of this oath requires the investment of one Willpower point, and a formal obeisance that lasts a full quarter-hour must be made. Once the oath is taken, the difficulties of all resistance rolls against any form of mental domination are reduced by two. Breaking this oath causes the loss of three Willpower points. In cases of extreme betrayal of this oath, the offender can be struck blind for a year and a day. The Oath of Escheat I take you as my vassal. You are of my house, even as the very stones. I pledge to hold you, to guard you, and to keep you. I pledge to honor your service as it deserves, and to reward loyalty in kind. As the moon to the seas below, my will to yours. I pledge the Escheat to you. With these words, a ruler formally signifies that she accepts another fae as a vassal. The oath is commonly spoken in conjunction with the Oath of Fealty, but not always. When these words are spoken, the speaker loses one Glamour point, and a chimerical gold coin, stamped with her visage, appears in her hand. The oath is not actually binding until the oathmaker offers, and the proposed vassal accepts, this token. Failure to abide by the terms of this oath indicates a fall from the ways of true fae honor, and thus causes the acquisition of a Banality point. Anyone currently bound by (and holding to) the terms of this oath, even if it is to but one vassal, gains an extra Willpower point per week. The Oath of the Accepted Burden Lay down your burden, that 1 might take it up. The road is long, and I swear I shall bear it for you, until all roads end. I shall Ithe actual task is named here], eke may the road cease to lay beneath my feet. Superficially similar to a geas, this oath is a promise to perform a certain deed. The nature of the deed itself is irrelevant; it could be anything from a kiss to retrieving the still-beating heart of an enemy. This oath is always made to another, and is made to verify that a task that he desires will be performed. When these words are spoken, a Willpower point is gained by both the oathmaker and the one to whom the promise is made. If the oath is not kept, each loses two Willpower points. The Oath of Guardianship As the sun guards the Earth by day, as the stars by night, so shall I serve thee. This my duty I shall not abandon of oath till of oath, else may the stars close their eyes and sleep. This is a fearful oath, and those who do not uphold to it are cursed to never spend two nights in the same bed until a century has passed. The Oath of Guardianship binds the oathmaker to keep a single object, place or individual from any and all harm, to the point of ultimate self-sacrifice. There is no cost to make the Oath of Guardianship, save that extracted by its keeping. ' ' The Oath of Truehearts I give a gift of myself to thee. Take it freely; freely is it offered, and forever thou hast me in thy keeping. I swear love unto you and pledge you my troth. May those who watch over love watch over this oath and those who keep it, and may we never find fault in their eyes. The purpose of this oath needs no explanation. It is spoken in unison by the two (or more) lovers it hinds, and it takes a point of Glamour from each to craft a chimerical songbird visible only to the lovers. The instant this oath is broken, the bird ceases to sing, perching silently on the shoulder of the oathbreaker and now visible to all as a sign of betrayal. In addition, both betrayer and betrayed gain a Banality point as a result of this cowardly action. On the other hand, being true to the oath grants one additional point of Glamour from any Rapture the lovers participate in. The Oath of the Long Road I swear that 1 shall of quest undertaken or lose my honor, that I shall {nature of quest] or lay down my sword, that I shall of quest or Dream no more. You and the sky my witnesses, so mote it be. The Oath of the Long Road is the most potent of the oaths known to the common fae. It is the voluntary acceptance of a quest to be performed, and its swearing is usually sanctified with the blood of both the oathmaker and her witness(es). It is always spoken in front of one, or preferably three witnesses. The oathmaker receives an extra Willpower and Glamour point, but there are dire consequences for failure. Simple failure to complete the quest causes the loss of three Willpower and three Glamour points. Abandoning the quest altogether strips the oathbreaker of all temporary Glamour and Willpower, strips a point of permanent Willpower, and adds two Banality points. The Oath of Crossed Blades Where two stand, there will be one. I swear enmity unto thee until the setting of the last sun. May my heart cease to beat and my hand lose its strength should ever I show favor to thee, and the bones of the earth are my witness. Only trolls and sidhe generally speak this oath; members of the other kith consider it counterproductive to announce one's enmity. Still, there is a certain style to swearing eternal hatred, and the oath serves as a bold step in the intricate dances of court. A fae swearing this oath instantly trades a point of Willpower for one of Glamour, and also has the difficulty of any roll involving his enemy reduced by one. Should, however, the oath be broken, a point of Willpower is lost permanently, and a pair of matching scars, akin to those that would be left by a rapier's point, appear on the face of the oathbreaker. The Dragons Dance: Dueling The term "duel" is usually reserved for a formal contest, but duels range from murderous street brawls to the climax of changeling tournaments. Duels are fairly common occurrences between sidhe nobles. The duel has a nearly-mythic place in sidhe society, and has seen a renaissance since the Resurgence. It is said that the Dragon's Dance was the first use of the Dragon's Ire after the Shattering. Members of House Scathach had nearly forgotten the power of the Dragon's Ire, until the ritual and romance of the duel brought it back to them. Dueling on this ritualistic level is beyond a public brawl; it is an art form and one of the keystones of the noble society. Nobles are limited to challenging only those of equal rank — those of higher rank can refuse duels with little loss of honor. Challenges delivered to inferiors are rare, but can be attributed to "teaching the offender a lesson." The person challenged has the right to choose the weapons and time of the fight. These discussions are usually carried out by the parties' factors, persons whom they entrust with the arrangements. The general rules for conduct are set during these negotiations, but hot-blooded sidhe often forget the niceties in order to get on with the fun. The formal duels listed below often involve the invocation of the Dragon's Ire, even though cantrip use is usually considered cheating. All of the duels listed involve taking an oath, binding the participants to abide by the rules set forth by the type of duel, and observing any exceptions agreed upon by the duelists. (House Eiluned knights consider cantrip use fair, for instance.) There is no benefit to taking the oath, other than the protection it affords as both parties are buond by the duel's limits. Failing to abide by the oath results in the immediate loss of a permanent point of Willpower. The Scarlet Trip: This duel is fought to first blood, usually with little or no armor, and with light weapons. Tonight we trip for honor and right. Guide our hands, Mother Dream, as we fight. Foe are quick to anger, but quicker to mend. We swear, tomorrow our anger will end. The Dragon's Dance This duel is regarded as the most honorable and as such, is the most common form of dueling. It is fought until one side or the other yields. It may be fought with any weapons or armor the foes agree to. We dance the Dragon's Dance beneath the waning moon, And set loose the Dan, the Chariot of Dream and doom. The reigns of reason slip as the star-hoofed horses race, And we hear the cackle of misrule beneath their frantic pace.. Wide-eyed, the mares of tenor to us draw you near — Come, sweet Mother Dream: our love, our lot, our fear.' ' Danse Macabre This duel is to the death. Only queens and kings can sanction such a contest. It may be fought with any weapons or armor the foes agree on. We call for honor in deeds Let us rise above this petty seeming. Death to s/he who flees Before the power of the Dreaming.' ' The Dance of Iron This duel is fought with no armor and with iron weapons. It is fought until the death of both the changeling soul and the human host. It is illegal in Concordia and most foreign kingdoms as well. The only oath taken before the Dance of Iron is something to the effect of, "Die and to Oblivion with your soul, bastard!" Many variations of this exist.